Katerina CORTES by Drexel Architecture Program

URBAN (RE)FORESTATION THE POSSIBILITIES OF A MASS TIMBER-CONSTRUCTED HIGH-RISE IN TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA KATERINA CORTES | DREXEL UNIVERSITY, ARCHITECTURE THESIS 2015-2016 | ADVISOR: JOHN DEFAZIO

As the most sustainable city in North America, Toronto, Ontario, Canada seemed a fitting place to integrate this building initiative. The plyscraper is located in the heart of downtown Toronto overlooking the harbor.

TORONTO

The site is located in the city’s Entertainment District, home to theaters and performing arts center, nightclubs, sports teams and other attractions. The site is currently located on a fairly flat parking lot between two towers, a major roadway and a park near the harbor, providing a very eclectic context.

TORONTO HARBOR FRONT

1000 FT

CLIMATE

AVERAGE TEMPERATURE

SITE CONDITIONS

HOURS OF DAYLIGHT Hours

Temperature (°F)

PROBABILITY OF PRECIPITATION

FIGURE GROUND

HYDROLOGY

BUILDING HEIGHTS

SOLAR PATTERN

Rain Snow

VEGETATION

< 50’

300’ - 1000’

50’ - 100’ 100’ - 300’

> 1000’

1. Inner Harbor of Lake Ontario

TRAFFIC

BUILDING USES

6 Solstices Today’s Sun Path (May 14, 2016)

HUMIDITY

WIND CONDITIONS N

Percentage

E W

4 3

Winter Winds

Summer Winds

1. HTO Park 2. HTO Park West 3. Ann Tindall Park

4. Rees Street Park 5. Roundhouse Park 6. Olympic Park

Offices Tourist Attractions/Shops

Apartments Public Services

Hotels

EXISTING SITE CONDITIONS AND ANALYSIS

PROPOSED PROGRAM FOR WATERFRONT SITE

OVERALL BUILDING PROGRAM ANALYSIS BUILT

OFFICE

HOTEL

RETAIL

RESIDENTIAL

25 FLOORS OF OPEN FLOOR PLANS

BOUTIQUE HOTEL

VARIETY OF STORE TYPES

84 APARTMENTS

UNBUILT

PUBLIC

PRIVATE

SERVICE

SERVED

OVERALL DEVELOPMENT

APARTMENT

100 ROOMS FLEXIBLE TENANT SPACES

(66) 1-BEDROOM UNITS

HOTEL

RESTARAUNTS FITNESS CENTER AND POOL

PRIVATE OFFICES

(10) 2-BEDROOM UNITS OFFICE

THEATER / RECITAL HALL ON UPPER LEVEL

(8) PENTHOUSES

SKYWALK TO ACCESS OFFICE TOWER + HOTEL

CITY AND HARBOR VIEWS

SCATTERED ACROSS SITE

FITNESS CENTER AND COMMUNITY SPACES

ROOFTOP RESTARAUNT LARGE CONFERENCE ROOMS SKYLOBBIES

ADDITIONAL TERRACE SPACE OVERLOOKING HARBOR

OVERALL SITE CONDITIONS FOR PROGRAMMING The proposed programmatic elements all fit in with their surrounding context, as there are multiple office towers nearby and a few hotels and multiple apartments/condominuims in close proximity. The proposed location for the site was choosen to allow people to access it by foot, bike, public transit, and car as mixed-use programmatic elements would play host to a variety of populations and user groups. As a multi-use developments, this site would encourage a varied user demographic that would promote activity throughout the day and night.

BUILT VS. UNBUILT

PUBLIC VS. PRIVATE

SERVICE VS. SERVED

HOTEL 126,540 GROSS SF (15%) BOUTIQUE HOTEL 100 ROOMS FITNESS/POOL RESTAURANT / TERRACED ROOF

}

RESIDENTIAL 173,870 GROSS SF (21%) PRIVATE APARTMENTS RESIDENTIAL BELOW TERRACED ROOFS BIKE AND WATER SPORT RENTALS

RETAIL 92,430 GROSS SF (11%) STORES THEATER RESTAURANTS

OFFICE 446,300 GROSS SF (53%) OPEN & FLEXIBLE FLOORS FOR A VARIETY OF TENANTS

APPROXIMATELY 840,000 TOTAL GROSS SF

LIVE

62,300 SF PLAY

OFFICE TOWER 25,600 SF

HOTEL TOWER 24,500 SF

WORK

APARTMENT TOWER 12,200 SF

PROGRAM ABSTRACT

SOM TIMBER TOWER RESEARCH PROJECT

SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL, LLP | CHICAGO, USA | 42-STORY APARTMENT

CURRENTLY BUILT TALL WOOD BUILDINGS AROUND THE WORLD

COLUMN

FLOOR

FLOOR & PERIMETER BEAM

GRAPHITE APARTMENTS

WAUGH THISTLETON ARCHITECTS | LONDON, UK | 9-STORY APARTMENT

CROSS- LAMINATED TIMBER (CLT)

Locations of existing tall wood buildings around the world.

There are currently 17 tall wood buildings, considered 7 stories or taller, across the world that have been built in the past 5 years. While a majority of them have been residential buildings, there have also been several office buildings that have begun to utilize this innovative structural system.

PRECEDENT STUDIES

WHY SHOULD MASS TIMBER CONSTRUCTION BE CONSIDERED AS THE PRIMARY STRUCTURE FOR A HIGH-RISE? LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT

EMBODIED EFFECTS RELATIVE TO WOOD DESIGN

ENERGY PERFORMANCE

RAW MATERIAL

REUSE / RECYCLE / DISPOSE

USE

MANUFACTURING

CONSTRUCTION

AIR POLLUTION

WOOD GROWS NATURALLY AND IS RENEWABLE

RESOURCE USE

ENERGY USAGE

steel

concrete

wood

steel

concrete

wood

steel

concrete

wood

steel

SOLID WASTE

concrete

wood

steel

concrete

wood

TRANSPORTATION

WATER POLLUTION

WOOD

STEEL

Operating Energy

WOOD : A ZERO-WASTE INDUSTRY

CONCRETE

Embodied Energy

CARBON BENEFITS IF DONE IN TIMBER:

1940

Volume of wood products used: 127,828 cubic ft U.S. forests grow this much wood in: 10 min. Wood stores: 2760 tons of CO2

TODAY

35%

26%

45%

Avoided greenhouse gas emissions: 5870 tons of CO2 Total potential carbon benefit: 8640 tons of CO2 EQUIVALENT TO: 1649 cars off the road for a year

52% 20%

12%

Processed into lumber Converted in other wood products Recovered for energy production Incinerated as waste or landfill

SEAGRAM BUILDING (NY, USA)

Energy to operate a home for 734 years

STEEL

ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF RESEARCH

OFFICE RETAIL RESIDENTIAL | HOTEL

PROCESS

INTRODUCTION Across the world, skylines are rapidly rising in response to increased urban population demands. The role of tall buildings in today’s urban contexts necessitates careful thought into how they interact with their surrounding context, their natural environment, city inhabitants and furthermore, the world. As more high-rise buildings are being constructed, the need to make these tall structures sustainable is becoming imperative. With this in mind, timber-constructed high-rises should no longer be an abstract thought; they are a very possible solution to our urban building demands. However, many people still maintain resistance to tall timber-constructed buildings. This project aims to demonstrate the possibilities for such buildings through the use of advancing technologies and the support of evolving building codes. This project will explore the use of timber in tower design, the creation of a building with a program that is influenced by its micro and macro site and urban context, as well as the incorporation of various strategies for sustainable design. Since their first appearance in the mid-1960s, mixed-use high-rise buildings have played an important role in the overall fabric of a city. This building typology has proven to be an effective solution for densely populated areas in terms of spatial configurations of programmatic elements. But with each new high-rise there seems to be some sort of competition to make it taller, slimmer, adhere to new technological trends and/or integrate emerging sustainable design strategies. This project will focus on the latter two competitive edges. The material of wood evokes many of our senses to make us realize that it too was once a living organism that promotes unique characteristics that cannot be found in the likes of steel or concrete. Wood has been a prominent building material for centuries due to its structural durability, finish appearance and shape. The color range and surface texture provide endless variations to creating one-of-a-kind spaces. Furthermore, wood is a reliable building material due to its abundance in nature. While most fear the disappearance of wood due to deforestation and other negative repercussions of excessive use of timber, there are many ways to prevent such while still actively promoting the use of wood as a building material for decades to come. I propose to locate my mixed-use, timber-constructed high-rise in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on the harbor-front in the city’s Entertainment District. This will be the second timber high-rise in Canada; the first is the Wood Innovation and Design Centre in Prince George, British Columbia. Canada’s economy and job market have been much stronger than the U.S.’s in recent years, explaining Canada’s booming building expansion, especially in Toronto. Canada’s building codes are also more lenient and more appealing to design a “plyscraper.” Toronto is constantly fearful of being irrelevant on the global scale and is obsessed with its non-stop construction of high-rises. Toronto’s current urban fabric seems to compete with itself by intensifying each new tower that emerges in its skyline. Innovation by another means is possibly the way to remain relevant. This project’s focus on its construction techniques, materials selection and design strategies aims to create a new standard for which Toronto and possibly the rest of the world can begin to envision with the expansion of its skylines.

OVERALL PROJECT GOALS

Explore the RELATIONSHIP of height and URBANITY in contrast to that of height and DENSITY as a solution to urban infill. Should a high rise building be solely focused on density or should it attempt to interact and assimilate with its surrounding context?

Create a distinct CONNECTION between the city’s HARBOR-FRONT and CITY CENTER. The two are currently segregated by the Gardiner Expressway, which sits parallel to the proposed site.

3 4 5 6 7

Promote a more PEDESTRIAN FRIENDLY harbor-front center with a VARIETY of close proximity BUILDING USES.

Promote and INTEGRATE the NATURAL ELEMENTS that surround the proposed site. Open parks (green spaces), harbor (water), etc. Present the BENEFITS of MASS TIMBER CONSTRUCTION.

Address the CONCERNS that most people ASSOCIATE with the use of TIMBER as the primary structure.

Demonstrate the VERSATILITY of TIMBER in its many FORMS and SCALES. The use of timber as the primary structure, wall and ceiling construction, flooring, connections, decorative elements at large scales, medium scales and small scales.

OVERALL PROJECT THEMES

MASS TIMBER primary structure for high-rise

SUSTAINABILITY

URBAN INFILL

integrate design strategies

density v. integration

PEDESTRIANS promote non-vehicular transit

INTERMEDIATE REVIEW (FALL TERM)

OFFICE

38 STORIES

BUILDING CORE 575’

GEOMETRY AND HIERARCHY

VERTICAL CIRCULATION

HOTEL

22 STORIES

RETAIL

585’

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS

PARKING 6 STORIES

RESIDENTIAL

3 STORIES | 12 STORIES

345’

INTERMEDIATE REVIEW (FALL TERM)

LDI

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS CREE GMBH SYSTEM (GLULAM + CONCRETE)

N G CO D

PROCESS OF CREATING GLUE LAMINATED TIMBER

DESIGN CHALLENGES FOR A TIMBER HIGH RISE

CREE GMBH SYSTEM (GLULAM + CONCRETE) CREE GMBH TIMBER-CONCRETE COMPOSITE SYSTEM- RHOMBERG 6” PRECAST CONCRETE FLOOR SLAB

POTENTIALLY AMENDING TO ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY AND USE, BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO DESIGN

SPRUCE LOGS

RU CTU RE

FINGER JOINTING

FIRE

ENGINEERING, CONNECTIONS (JOINERY), LATERAL STABILITY

KILN DRYING

SAWN TIMBER

GLUELINE PRESSURE APPLIED

PLANING

STRESS GRADING

DOUBLE GLULAM COLUMNS (1’ X 2’ X 12’)

GLUE APPLICATION

WRAPPING

DOUBLE GLULAM BEAMS (1’ X 2’ X ?)

6”

TYPICAL ASSEMBLY PROCESS FOR TIMBER + CONCRETE COMPOSITE FLOOR SYSTEM

SAFETY, BEHAVIOR, PROTECTION STRATEGIES, CODES

AT H E RI

WOOD AND CONCRETE ACT IN UNISON WITH EACH OTHER THROUGH A COMBINATION OF A VARIETY OF SHEAR CONNECTORS

G 12’-0”

USES EACH MATERIAL’S INHERENT STRENGTH

SO U ND GLULAM COLUMN

1’-0”

WOOD BLOCKING + INSULATION

MOISTURE PROTECTION, PHYSICAL AND AESTHETIC PROTECTION

6” CONCRETE SLAB

ACOUSTIC DESIGN (AIRBORNE AND STRUCTURE-BORNE), ACOUSTIC PANELS

GLULAM BEAM

CONCRETE = COMPRESSION TIMBER = TENSION

CONCRETE SLABS IMPROVE ACOUSTICS, ADDS THERMAL MASS AND PROVIDES RIGID DIAPHRAM TO DISTRIBUTE LATERAL LOADS WHILE ALLOWING LONGER FLOOR SPANS ABILITY TO HANDLE INCREASED LIVE LOADS

TECHNICAL REVIEW (WINTER TERM)

STRUCTURAL SYSTEMS

CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPERTIES OF WOOD

CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER (CLT) MYTHS ABOUT CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER

HARDWOODS VS. SOFTWOODS

IS NOT IN THE BUILDING CODE 1 CLT ANSI CLT Standard PRG 320 (2015 IBC) THE PORES IN RING-POROUS HARDWOODS CREATE A STRONG GRAIN PATTERN

EASILY CATCHES ON FIRE 2 CLT PROVIDES EXCELLENT FIRE RESISTANCE - CHARRING CREWS ARE NEEDED FOR INSTALL 3 SPECIALIZED SIMILAR TO GLUE LAMINATED CONSTRUCTION AND LOTS OF OFFSITE PREFABRICATION DOWN TOO MANY TREES 4 CUT LUMBER HARVESTED FROM SUSTAINABLY MANAGED FORESTS; IT IS EXTREMELY RENEWABLE

THE PORES IN RING-DIFFUSE HARDWOODS ARE MORE EVENLY DISTRIBUTED; THE GRAIN PATTERN IS LESS DISTINCT

IS EXPENSIVE 5 CLT COMPETITIVE PRICING; REDUCED SAVINGS IN INSTALLATION AND LESS MATERIAL WEIGHT = REDUCED FOUNDATION COSTS

FABRICATION OF CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER PANELS

BLACK SPRUCE (TREES)

GLUE GLUE LONG TIMBER

ADHESIVES CLT PRODUCTION - MECHANICAL PRESSES AND THE USE OF FORMALDEHYDE-FREE EMULSION POLYMER ISOCCYANATE (EPI) ADHESIVES LIKE ONE-COMPONENT POLYURETHANE (PUR)

THE STRUCTURE OF WOOD

SAPWOOD

HEARTWOOD (DURAMEN)

CAMBIUM LAYER CORTEX BARK

CLT CREATED IN BOARDS “MEGA PLYWOOD”

TYPICAL ASSEMBLY PROCESS FOR CROSS LAMINATED CONSTRUCTION

MECHANICAL PRESS

SOFTWOODS HAVE NO PORES; THE GRAIN PATTERN IS DUE TO THE COLOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SPRINGWOOD AND THE SUMMERWOOD

LUMBER PROCESSED FOR MULTIPLE USES

DESIGN OF CLT HAS THE “FEEL” OF CONCRETE

LONG TIMBER SHORT TIMBER

FIRE DESIGN CHARRING - WOOD IS MORE FIRE RESISTANT THAN STEEL BECAUSE FIRE CHARS THE WOOD ON THE OUTSIDE SEALING THE WOOD WHEREAS STEEL ACTUALLY BEGINS TO MELT, USURPING ALL OF ITS STRENGTH

STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES OF CROSS LAMINATED TIMBER

CLT WALL

SCREWS METAL BRACKET SCREWS CLT FLOOR

SCREWS METAL BRACKET

RAYS

SCREWS

ANNUAL RING

MEDULLA (PITH)

CLT WALL

TECHNICAL REVIEW (WINTER TERM)

IMPLEMENTED SUSTAINABLE DESIGN STRATEGIES SITE OPTIMIZATION

WATER EFFICIENCY

SHADING DEVICES

Careful consideration of a building site. By doing this it is possible to minimize disturbing the land, protect current vegetation, and provide opportunities for daylighting, natural shading and ventilation, and solar heat gain.

Promoting behavioral changes in users to reduce a building’s overall water consumption. This is made possible by choosing water-efficient products that reduce the amount of potable water consumed and waste-water produced.

Ways to allow optimal solar heat gain in the winter, while at the same time limiting the summer’s unwanted solar heat gain. Helps to maintain comfortable interior conditions with noticeably lower annual cooling costs.

SPATIAL HIERARCHY

PASSIVE SOLAR

PERMEABLE PAVING

Designing the exterior form, building massing and the interior spaces are designed with a focus on human use and interaction. This design process ensures comfort, functionality, and user-friendliness. It is also a good consideration for passive solar strategies.

The use of the sun’s energy to heat and cool interior spaces. The building itself or some element of it takes advantage it materials’ natural properties created by exposure to the sun.

The process that allows storm water to move through a surface. It helps to reduce the runoff and filtering out of contaminants before they enter the groundwater.

RAINWATER COLLECTION

GREEN ROOF

SHOU-SUGI BAN

Harvesting runoff water from roofs and other horizontal surfaces that will be reused on the site. Collected rainwater can be used for outdoor irrigation and possibly toilet water.

The partial or complete covering of a building’s roof with vegetation. They can reduce the urban heat island effect, provide storm water retention and rainwater filtration, help cool the entire building, all while protecting the roof’s membrane.

An ancient Japanese siding technique that preserves wood by making it resistant to both decay and fire. The process involves charring it, then cooling it, cleaning it, and finishing it with a natural oil. It is an environmentally friendly way to preserve the timber and make it fire resistant.

MATERIAL PALETTE

TIMBER, GLASS, CONCRETE + VEGETATION

CONCRETE PODIUM MASS TIMBER

TI M B E R

GL ASS

N C RETE

TECHNICAL REVIEW (WINTER TERM)

FRONT AND CENTER IN TORONTO SKYLINE | “LANDMARK”

SPADINA AVENUE

CLOSE TO PUBLIC TRANSIT

JOHN STREET

WINDSOR STREET

HARBORFRONT LOCATION BIOSWALES AND RAINWATER GARDENS (NEW PARKS)

FRONT STREET WEST

LOWERED TRAIN YARD

ROGERS CENTRE MULTI-USE STADIUM

PARKING AVAILABLE PARKING THAT CAN BE USED FOR VISITORS TO TIMBER COMMUNITY

BLUE JAYS WAY WEST

BREMNER BLVD

LOWER SIMCOE STREET

CN TOWER TALLEST FREESTANDING STRUCTURE IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE

LV D

BIOSWALE MEDIANS CREATES A GREENWAY ALONG THE HARBOR FRONT

REESE STREET

GARDNER EXPRESSWAY ABOVE MAJOR DOWNTOWN HIGHWAY THAT BORDERS PROPOSED SITE

LAKE SHORE BLVD WEST

TIMBER TOWERS COMMUNITY A NEW CITY “LANDMARK TROLLEY STOP ALONG MAIN PATH OF TROLLEY ROUTE

QUEENS QUAY WEST

BIKE STORAGE FOR AN ACTIVE BICYCLING COMMUNITY INNER HARBOR OF LAKE ONTARIO MAJOR HARBOR FOR RECREATIONAL AND TOURISM USE | NIAGARA FALLS SITS ON OPPOSITE SIDE OF LAKE

PROPOSED SITE PLAN OF DOWNTOWN TORONTO (HARBOR FRONT)

FINAL REVIEW (SPRING TERM)

With nearly 80% of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s population expected to settle in urban centers by 2050, the demand for residential, retail and office spaces in dense urban centers with easy access to mass transit will continue to grow. Economic, social and environmental factors will all heavily contribute to the emergence of these future urban cores. The potential for using timber, one of our oldest building technologies in what are sure to be mixed-use high-rises, is now technically feasible, economically competitive and could significantly reduce our carbon footprint. With its innumerable possibilities for its aesthetic, structural and sustainably-conscious qualities, timber should no longer play the role of the decorative addition but should be the primary structure for the rebirth of such an iconic building type.

FINAL REVIEW (SPRING TERM) | FINAL STATEMENT